Integral bit, rope socket, and jar tool



Dec. 8, 1953 F. J. SPANG, 2,661,930

INTEGRAL BIT, ROPE socxm, AND JAR TOOL.

Filed May 17, 1950 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 T 14b 1 F119. 2 INVENTOR.

Ferdinand J. Spang Y 751W 3; FOR Green, m cal/ism 8 Miller HIS ATTORNEYS Dec. 8. 1953 F. J. SPANG.

ICNTEGRAL BIT, Roma socxa'zw. AND JAR Tom.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed may 17, 1950' INVENTOR. Ferdinand J. Spang BY 7% a m F 0/? Green, McCall/star 8 Miller 'H/s ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 8, 1953 INTEGRAL BIT, ROPE SOCKET, AND JAR TOOL Ferdinand J. Spang, Butler, Pa., assignor to Spang & Company, Butler, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 17, 1950, Serial No. 162,552

14 Claims.

This invention relates to well drilling tools and particularly, to a combined bit, rope socket and jar tool for well bore drilling operations and for the enlargement of well bores. I

Heretofore it has been customary to utilize separate tool parts for effecting adrilling operation. That is, one part consisted of the rope socket, the other part the bit and the third part the jar. These parts were then threadably coupled in an assembled relationship for the drilling operation. In addition to the expense involved in assembling and using such a type of tool arrangement, it also placed a limitation upon the efiectiveness of the blades employed and the overall effectiveness from the standpoint of the permissible weight which can be carried by the cable and/or properly reciprocated by the operating mechanism.

It has thus been an object of my invention to provide a bit construction of an integral type or of a type which eliminates the need for a string of tools in drilling large size well holes.

Another object of this invention is to provide a unitized tool for the enlargement of previously drilled boreholes by which, through successive enlargement steps, well bores'of sizes larger than Figure 5 is a transverse bottom view taken along the line V-V of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a vertical view in elevation of a modified form of my invention which is particularly suitable for enlarging a well drill bore;

Figure 7 is a fragmental sectional elevation taken along the line VII-VII of Figure 9;

Figure -8 is a transverse top view taken along the line VIII-VIII of Figure 6;

Figures 9 and 10 are transverse sectional views taken along the lines IXIX and X-X, respectively, of Figure 6;

Figure l 11 is a transverse bottom end view taken along the line XI-XI of Figure 6;

Figures 12 and 13 are views similar to Figure 11 and taken along the same line, butillustrating a different number of blades.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a tool construction which employs a unitary body, a fishing neck or stem for the upper end of the body, and a reciprocal jarring element operably mounted within the body and limited as to the extent of its upward and downward stroke by the fishing stem and an anvil cap that is mounted adjacent a lower end of the body. The jarfring element carries a swivel rope socket and single stage drilling practicability may be economically produced.

Another object has been to eliminate screw threaded joints of the conventional assembly'and the difficulties which arise from and are inherent therein. I

A further object has been to provide a tool construction wherein its blades are 'eifectively longer for its equivalent total weight.

A still further object has been to provide a more eflicient, inexpensive, and practical bit construction which will not only have an improved efllcienoy for drilling operations," but will also provide a straight, round bore hole.

These and many other objects of my invention will appear to those skilled in the art from the illustrated embodiments thereof.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a vertical view in elevation through a tool of my invention which may be employed for increasing the depth of a well hole;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, but taken along the line II-H of Figure 4 and in which, for purposes of simplicity, the blades have been broken away;

Figure 3 is a top plan view taken from the upper end of Figure 1 along line III-III thereof;

Figure 4 is a transverse section taken along the line IVIV of Figure 1; I

cable to or seating it in such socket.

means is provided for inserting and securing a Suitable cutting blades extend outwardly from the body and along its length to guide the tool and to cut or drill the hole. In one embodiment (see Figure 1), the blades extend downwardly below thebody and are enlarged to drill out the hole and thus produce an original bore hole. In another or pilot tool embodiment (see Figure 6), the body extends beyond the blades to act as a guide for the tool when its blades are employed to enlarge a previously-drilled well hole. Otherwise, the construction of the two embodiments is substantially the same and they operate on substantially the same principle, except that in the pilot model, the rope socket may be removed from the bottom end of the body While in the other tool it is necessary that the rope socket be adapted to be removed or inserted through an opening in a side wall of the body.

In both forms, I provide transverse or radial fluid ports or openings through both the jarring in the jarring element and are in a longitudinally spaced-apart relationship along the tool.

In operation, the tool is lowered into the drill hole and the cable is actuated to reciprocate it in alternate vertical movements. During this re ciprocal motion, the cable acts somewhat as a spring. Thus the upward movement of the mass of the bit weight overtakes the pull of the cable with the result that the swivel socket l6 parts from its seat I50 at the upper terminus of its movement. As the stress of the cable in starting and lifting the bit initially upwardly is considerable, the cable lay or twist is lessened or in the terms of the art some lay is lost. Consequently, when the mass weight movement of the bit overtakes the pull and movement of the cable and the swivel socket lE parts from its seat l5c, the cable is free to recover or take up its normal twist or lay. This results in the swivel socket l5 assuming a new position in its seat I50. In this manner the tool changes its working or drilling position around the periphery of the well bore with each reciprocal movement. In the event that the tool becomes fast in the well bore, sufficient cable may be paid out to cause the jar element 25 to reciprocate within the body and thus strike a jarring blow against the anvil cap face 2 l g to loosen the tool in the well bore.

In the embodiment of my invention shown in Figures 1 to 5, inclusive, I employ a longitudinally-extending body It! which has a longitudinal bore Illa extending therealong and entrant toits opposite ends. Such ends will correspond to upper and lower ends of the tool when it is in an operating relationship in the well bore. longitudinally-extending jarring element I5 is mounted for longitudinal reciprocation and swivel movement within the bore lfla. A fishing neck or stem ll extends upwardly from the upper end of the body I!) and has an inwardlyprojecting threaded male portion llb which is adapted to threadably engage an enlarged, internally-threaded bore portion lllb of the body l An inner end portion of reduced diameter ll f of the fishing neck I! is hardened and has a concave-conic or dished limit or stop face ll g which is adapted to limit the upward reciprocation of the jarring element l'when its upper V conic face l5g strikes thereagainst and to provide an upper bore closure.

An anvil cap or inner closure l3 closes off the bore Illa of the body 1!! adjacent its lower end and has an inwardly-extending abutment portion l3a which is hardened to provide a limit or stop for the maximum downward reciprocation of the jarring element l5. A series of peripherally spaced-apart guide and cutter blades M are secured to extend longitudinally along the outer periphery of the body Ill. The blades M are shown in a substantially equally spacedapart relationship about the body l0.

As shown particularly in Figures 1 and 2, the fishing neck or stem ll has an intermediate, annularly-projecting shoulder portion lle which is adapted to fit within the bore llla of the body. Opposed faces lllc of the upper edge of the body It and of a lower edge I la of the fishing neck il form a fillet to receive weld metal l2 which is employed to lock the fishing neck II to the body ll] after it has been threaded therein. The weld metal l2, of course, can be removed if the tool is to be disassembled. A bore lla extends longitudinally through the fishing neck H and registers or aligns with a similar bore l5a extending through the jarring element l5,so that a cable may be threaded therethrough and secured in a swivel socket IS. The upper end portion lld of the fishing neck is adapted to be engaged by a grapple extending down the well hole to remove the tool in the event the cable is parted from its socket l6 during the drilling operation.

A swivel socket I6 is mounted within an upwardly-extending, enlarged bore l5b of the jarring element l5 and is entrant from a lower end thereof. A dished-out shoulder l5c formed between the bores l5a and [51) serves as a stop for the swivel It. The swivel l6 has a bore lta extending therethrough which is in alignment with the bores I la and [5a of the fishing stem and the jarring element and has a cone-shaped downwardly-enlarged bore portion lfib which is adapt- 1 ed to secure the cable therein. The cable extending through such bore portions is employed to reciprocate the jarring element l5 within the body Ill.

The anvil cap l3 has a bore I3 entrant to its lower end and an enlarged male, threaded portion l3d which is adapted to engage an internally-threaded or enlarged female bore portion Hid of the body Ii! for securing the anvil cap in position within the body. An annular end shoulder portion l3b of the anvil cap l3 has an inner edge rim face 53c which opposes an outer edge rim face we of the body and defines a fillet therewith for receiving weld metal l2.

The blades M, as shown particularly in Figures 3 and 4, are welded to the body l0 (see weld metal 12) to extend therefrom and each blade at its lower end has a portion I la that extends downwardly beyond the body l0 and defines a slot l lb entrant to the bore l3,f of the anvil cap. The blade portion Ma also extends outwardly or is enlarged near its lower end, as shown particularly in Figures 2 and 5.

Fluid ports or openings lllf extend transversely through the body in and are of sufiicient width that at leasttwo, transversely adjacent ports l5f through the jarring element l5 will register therewith during the reciprocatingmovement of the jarring element. A longitudinal slot lOh of substantially the same extent as the swivel rope socket l6 extends through one portion of the wall of the body [0, while a longitudinallyextending slot log extends through an opposite side thereof adjacent the lower end of the body and adjacent the anvil cap [3. It is thus apparent that the swivel rope socket l6 may be socketed onto the drilling cable by inserting the cable through the bore Ila of the fishing neck ll, the bore l5a 0f the jar element l5, and out through the swivel slot lllh. The cable, together with the socket It, may then be drawn back through the slot lllh and the socket seated within the seating bore l5b of the jarring element l5. It will be noted that the lower end portion lEd of the bore of the jarring element l5 diverges outwardly to facilitate the insertion and removal of the socket IS. A lower end rim edge l5e of the element I5 is adapted to strike against the hardened anvil cap l3 to limit its maximum downward movement.

I have also provided an annular or circular continuous steady rest ring l1 which is mounted by weld metal I2 upon upper edges of the blades M. to extend upwardly therefrom, see Figures 1 and 3. This ring ll is for the purpose of manufacturing and maintenance work in connection with the insertion and removal of the fishing neck II.

In the embodiment of my invention shown in Figures 6 to 11, inclusive, I have employed numerals which correspond to the numerals of the'above-described embodiment, except that the unit It) has been added thereto. For example, the body part lilof Figure 1 has a corresponding number?!) in the embodiment of Figure 6. In this latter embodiment, a cup-shaped (hardened) anvil cap 23 is employed which is mounted within a bore 20a of the body'ZB by a key element 28, see particularly Figures 6 and 10. In this manner, the cap 23 may be easily removed for the purpose of i nserting a cable into the swivel socket, 26. The body 20 extends downwardly beyond the lower enlarged portion'zlla ofthe blades 24 andslots'fllg and lllh of the embodiment of Figure 2 and provide for the ready insertion of the cable inthe socket 26 by removing the anvil cap 23 from the bottom end of the bore Zila of the tool body 20.

As shown particularly in Figures 12 and 13, any suitable number of blades 24 or 24" may be applied to the tool of Figure 6; this is also true as to the tool of Figure 1. The tool of the embodiment of Figure 6, as previously explained, may be termed a pilot tool employed for enlarging a drill hole, while the tool of Figure l is principally employed for increasing the depth of a drill hole.

It will thus be seen that I provide an integral bit construction which eliminates separable threaded joints between two or more tool parts used in a drilling operation and that makes possible much longer blades for the equivalent total weight of the construction. That is, with this construction the weight of the stem, rope socket and one half of the'jars is eliminated. This weight saving may thus be used to extend the length of the drill blades. Such blades can be sharpened and sized by an electric are or acetylene welding method, using granular type hard surface welding rods. The running motions and stroke of this bit will closely approximate that of standard tools when drilling like formations. The ports or openings through the body and jarring element provide washing passageways for the drilling fluid to prevent water and mud locking.

What I claim is:

l. A unitary combined socket, jar and percussion drilling tool for the reciprocal drilling of a well bore which comprises, an integral longitudinally-extending body for the tool having a longitudinal bore portion therein, a fishing neck extending from the upper end of said body, a plurality of well bore cutting and guiding blades extending transversely-outwardly from said body in a spaced relationship with each other, a jarring element mounted for longitudinal reciprocation within the longitudinal bore portion of said body, a swivel cable socket positioned within said jarring element, a bore closure at the top of said longitudinal bore to limit reciprocation of said jarring element in an upper direction, a second bore closure within the longitudinal bore portion of said body adjacent the lower end thereof to limit reciprocation of said jarring element in the opposite direction, said body and said jarring element having transverse openings therethrough with respect to each other so that drilling fluid may be washed therethrough, said fishing neck, said jarring element and said cable socket having aligned longitudinally-extending bores therethrough for receiving a well cable to be attached to said socket to actuate the tool.

'2. A tool as defined in claim 1 wherein, said body has an enlarged opening above said second closure of a sufficient size to introduce said swivel cable socket into saidbody therethrough and said jarring element has an open-end bore to receive said swivel cable socket endwise therein.

3. A unitary combined socket, jar and percussion drilling tool for the reciprocal drilling of a well bore which comprises, an integral longitu dinally-extending body for the tool having a longitudinal bore portion therein, a fishing neck extending from the upper end of said body and into the upper end of the longitudinal bore portion, a series of bore cutting and guiding blades extending transversely-outwardly from and longitudinally-along said body in a spaced relationship thereabout, a jarring element mounted for longitudinal reciprocation within the longitudinal bore portion of said body, a swivel cable socket carried by said jarring element, said fishing neck and said jarring element having substantially aligned longitudinally-extending bores along which a well cable can be passed for attachment to said socket, said fishing neck limiting the reciprocation of said jarring element in an upper direction, and an anvil cap secured in the bore portion of said body adjacent its lower end to limit reciprocation of said jarring element in a downward direction.

a. A tool as defined in claim 3 wherein, said body and said jarring element have transverse openings therethrough for washing drilling fluid therethrough.

5. A tool as defined in claim 3 wherein, a steady rest ring is secured to and extends from the upper edges of said blades.

6. A tool as defined in claim 3 wherein, said body has an opening therethrough above said anvil cap of a sufficient size to introduce said swivel cable socket into the longitudinal bore portion thereof.

7. A tool as defined in claim 3 wherein, a lower end portion of the longitudinal bore portion of said body has female threads, and said anvil cap has male threads engaging said female threads.

'8. A tool as defined in claim 7 wherein, said blades extend downwardly beyond said body and define a longitudinal-central gap from a lower end of said body.

9. A unitary combined socket, jar and percussion drilling tool for the reciprocal drilling of a well bore which comprises, an integral body having a longitudinal bore portion therein, said body carrying a series of bore cutting and guiding blades therealong, a reciprocal jarring element operably mounted within the bore portion of said body, a fishing neck at one end of said body, and a swivel reciprocal cable socket carried by said jarring element within said body, and said fishing neck and said'jarring element having substantially aligned longitudinally-extending bores along which a Well cable can be passed for attachment to said socket.

10. A tool as defined in claim 9 wherein, said body has a pilot portion extending beyond said blades to guide the tool in a Well bore hole.

11. A. unitary combined socket, jar and percusjsion drilling tool for the reciprocal drilling of a well bore which comprises, a longitudinallyextending integral body for the tool having a longitudinal bore portion therein, a fishing neck extending from the upper end of said body and closing ofi the upper end of the bore portion thereof, a series; of bore cutting and guiding blades extending transversely-outwardly from and longitudinally-along said body, a jarring elementmounted for longitudinal reciprocation within the longitudinal bore portion of said body, a swivel cable socket carried by said jarring element, said fishing neck and said jarring element having substantially aligned longitudinallyextending bores along which a well cable can be passed for attachment to said. socket, said fishing neck being adapted to limit reciprocation of said jarring element in an upper direction, an anvil cap secured in the longitudinal bore portion of said body adjacent its lower end to limit reciprocation o-f said jarring element downwardly, and said blades having enlarged portions at their lower ends.

12. A tool as defined in claim 11 wherein, said anvil cap is threadably secured within the bore portion of said body and defines an end closure therefor.

13. A tool as defined in claim 11 wherein, said References Cited in, the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 839,824 7 Eaton Jan. 1, 1907 1,045,883 Prosser Dec. 3, 1912 1,061,134 Shirey et a1 May' 6', I913 1,073,470 Burns Sept. '16, 1913 1,568,055 Burton Jan. 5, 1926 2,032,328 Reedy Feb. 25, 1936 an -v: 

